In DE 3,741,232 A1, it has already been noted that it is difficult to find a permanent paint which adheres well to the reflective synthetic resin film for the conventional roller coating process for coloring the raised rims and symbols of the plate. DE 3,741,232 A1 provides a device for the coloring of embossed plates, especially motor vehicle license plates,making it possible to color, in an economical way, the raised rims and symbols of motor vehicle license plates with a heat-applicable, permanent paint. In this method, the paint is detached from a carrier film by means of a heated pressure roll and is applied to the symbols and rims of the plate.
The carrier film with paint layer is reeled off, in this method, from a take-off reel, and after the paint layer has been applied, the consumed carrier film is wound up on a take-up reel. The minimum width of the synthetic resin film, coated with heat-detachable paint, must correspond to the width of a motor vehicle license plate. The film strip and, in particular, the paint layer, are relatively expensive so that license plates colored by hot embossing likewise become relatively costly.